


One Night Only

by TooSel



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 06:34:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15989669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooSel/pseuds/TooSel
Summary: Harvey only does one-night stands. Ever.Until he meets Mike.





	One Night Only

Ironically, Harvey isn’t looking for anyone to take home that night.

Of course, he wouldn’t mind leaving with a pretty man or woman on his arm if someone caught his eye, but it’s not what he came here for today.

Harvey has had one hell of a week, and right now he just wants to sit down and enjoy a drink or two that isn’t connected to straining business and slick clients he has to pretend to like, no matter what kind of bullshit they’re pulling.

Harvey doesn’t mind pretending, most of the time. It’s his job. It’s what he’s good at. But every once in a while, after a particularly messy case, he likes to drop the act of being on top all the damn time and just _be_ for a while.

That’s why he likes coming to bars like this one. Nobody knows who he is around here. Nobody expects anything of him. He can just be who he is, and between himself and his drink, no one is going to call him out on it.

“Everything good here?”

He looks up, giving the waitress a practiced smirk. “With someone as pretty as you looking after me? Couldn’t be better.”

It’s routine flirting; he isn’t really trying to approach her, and she isn’t really flirting back when she tells him, “I’m just doing my job, honey. Though it’s not exactly a hardship when it means looking after someone as pretty as you.”

“You flatter me. That part of your job too?”

“Only when I’m trying to get a good tip,” she remarks with a wink, and he chuckles.

“Fair enough. Go do your job then. I’ll be here if you change your mind.”

He watches her leave, only looking away when he hears someone saying, “I would stop wasting my time on her, if I were you.”

Harvey wasn’t planning on wasting his time, but he raises his eyebrows nevertheless as he turns to the guy at the next table. “What, you think I couldn’t get her if I wanted?”

“I think you can probably get whoever the hell you want, but this one in particular just isn’t going to work out for you. You see that redhead over there at the bar? That’s her girlfriend.”

“Huh.” Harvey follows his gaze, catches the way they’re smiling at each other when the waitress passes her. “Good for her.”

The guy regards him curiously. “What, no joke about trying for a threesome instead?”

“Why should I? She’s clearly not interested. You may not believe it, but I do have some class.”

“So it seems.”

Harvey takes a sip of his drink, eyeing the man more closely. With his blond hair and bright eyes, he’s definitely on the prettier side. When he talks, he gets a certain look that catches Harvey’s attention, that makes him want to dig deeper.

“Well, maybe I should waste my time on you instead, then.”

The man smiles. Harvey hears the challenge in it loud and clear. “You can try.”

“I’m Harvey,” he introduces himself.

“Mike.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mike. Care to join me? Next round’s on me.”

The corner of Mike’s mouth lifts. “Don’t mind if I do.”

Harvey allows his eyes to wander as Mike rises from his seat and slides into the one opposite him, raising his glass before he takes a sip. Harvey does the same, then tilts his chin.

“You always chat up strangers at the bar?”

“You always let yourself be chatted up?”

“If the mood arises,” Harvey remarks idly, looking him up and down. From this close, Mike looks even more intriguing than the dim lights let on before.

“Technically, I wasn’t chatting you up anyway. You were trying to chat up that girl. Emphasis on trying, since your attempts were clearly unsuccessful.”

Harvey huffs, though he’s not really affronted. Rather intrigued. “What are you, some kind of lawyer?”

That would be a funny coincidence. Harvey is fairly certain he’d remember Mike if he’d ever encountered him on a case, but there’s something about the way he talks that reminds him of the people he deals with every day.

Mike’s lips curl into a smile, though it doesn’t look quite right when he says, “No, missed out on that one, I’m afraid. I’m a bike messenger.” Before Harvey can say anything, he adds, “Not very exciting, I know. What about you?”

“I am a lawyer, actually.”

“No shit?” Mike lifts his eyebrows, giving him a once-over. “Might as well have known. You’re a good one, aren’t you? The crème de la crème.”

“Of course I am. I’m the best closer in the city.”

“Of course you are,” Mike agrees, grinning. “Just didn’t work so well on that waitress, did it?”

“I wasn’t really trying with that waitress.”

“Right.” Mike eyes him. “So what kind of lawyer are you? Let me guess. Are you the bad guy? Defending rich criminals if they only pay you enough?”

“Not quite. I’m in corporate.”

“Some might say that’s the same thing,” Mike points out.

Harvey chuckles. “You’re quite lippy,” he remarks.

“If it bothers you, I can take myself back to my seat. I’ll still have that drink you promised, though.”

“I like it, actually. You can stay.”

“That’s generous of you.”

“That’s cocky of you.”

Mike smiles widely, just a tad mischievous, then licks his lips. “So I go to the bar for a drink and end up getting myself a lawyer. Not what I expected to happen tonight, honestly.”

“Are you hiring me?” Harvey inquires idly.

“I don’t think I can afford you, but I could be your pro bono. If you do that sort of thing.”

“I don’t. Not regularly. But I can make an exception.”

Mike hums. “So if I got myself into trouble, you’d get me out?”

“Depends on what kind of trouble we’re talking about. Let me assure you that they don’t call me the best for nothing, though.”

Harvey takes a nip of his drink, savoring the sharpness of the alcohol on his tongue as he watches him. “Do you have a habit of getting yourself into trouble?”

He didn’t think it was that funny a question, so it surprises him when Mike starts laughing.

“You have no idea.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“A lot more than one, believe me.”

“Well, if you got yourself into trouble now I could get you out, if you play your cards right.”

Mike grins. “I like that.” He glances into his glass. “And if I said my drink was empty? Would you get me that other one?”

“If you play your cards right,” Harvey repeats with a smirk. Mike holds his gaze as he tilts his head, exposing his neck in a move too deliberate to be coincidental.

“Hmm. Am I?”

“You’re doing just fine,” Harvey assures him, waving the waitress over. He serves up his best charming smile and flirty remarks despite having absolutely no intention to pursue the woman further, just because it’s fun.

Maybe because he wants to see how Mike reacts, too.

He enjoys talking to him, but Harvey wants to know if there is more on the table than just talking, if Mike’s flirty smiles are empty promises or if he’s willing to take this further.

The intense look in his eyes when he catches them as he talks to the woman, not quite matching his easy smile, tells him that he probably is.

“Okay, let’s turn the tables,” Harvey announces when their drinks arrive, leaning in. “We’ve been talking about what I can do for you, but is there anything in it for me?”

Mike grins. “What, my riveting company isn’t enough?”

“Believe me, if I weren’t enjoying your company you wouldn’t be sitting here anymore. But what about something else? How about you give me some answers?”

“Sure, go ahead. Ask me what you want.”

“Yeah?”

When Mike nods, Harvey hums. “So if I asked what you did come here to look for, what would you say?”

“I’d tell you what you’re probably thinking already. I was looking for someone to keep me company for the night.”

“And have you found the kind of company you wanted?”

Mike smirks. “Maybe,” he says, drawing out the first syllable.

“Hm.”

He’s not making it easy on him. That’s fine by Harvey. He likes a challenge.

“So if I went on to assume that there’s more you’re after than just drinks, would I be correct?”

“I guess that would be fair to say,” Mike agrees.

Sliding his hand across the table, Harvey covers Mike’s hand with his. Oh, he loves this part. The thrill of the chase, the uncertainty, the gratification when the object of his desire plays along instead of pulling away.

Mike doesn’t pull away. Harvey smirks.

“And if I did this?”

Mike chuckles. “I’d say that this is nice, but I had quite a bit more in mind than just holding hands.”

“Did you,” Harvey muses. “Well then. What if I did this?”

He leans in slowly, deliberately, relishing the anticipation. He holds Mike’s gaze as he closes the distance between them, giving him plenty of time to retreat if he doesn’t want this.

Mike doesn’t move an inch.

His lips are surprisingly soft. They melt against Harvey’s instantly, following the rhythm he dictates. It’s more a gentle greeting at first, a way of getting acquainted, but there is nothing hesitant about it. It’s open, and curious, and all the proof Harvey needs that they both want the same thing.

He’s a good kisser, too.

Harvey tastes alcohol on the seam of Mike’s lips and something underneath that, something he instantly wants to explore further.

Mike opens his eyes when Harvey draws back, his tongue darting over his glistening lips.

They look at each other. Mike starts grinning.

“Then I'd probably do this,” he says, going straight back in for another kiss. Harvey hums against his lips, smiling when he nudges them apart without further ado. The kid clearly knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to get it.

The intent of their kiss is clear, a fraction of what they’re going to do later, a promise of what’s to come. Harvey gets thoroughly acquainted with the taste of Mike’s mouth, but as nice as this is, he would like to continue it somewhere more private.

He pulls back, licking his lips. “And what if I asked you to come home with me?”

Mike just laughs quietly. “I'd say lead the way.”

Harvey smiles and holds out his hand.

They pay at the bar, not wanting to waste any time waiting for the waitress to return to their table, before they make their way to Harvey’s apartment.

“Wow,” Mike says predictably when they step inside and Harvey switches on the lights. He doesn’t bother concealing his smirk.

“Not bad, is it?”

Mike snorts. “You can definitely live here,” he mutters, walking up to the high glass walls. “This is… god. I guess it pays off to study the law, huh?”

“It pays off to work hard for the things you want,” Harvey corrects, dropping his jacket on the counter as he follows Mike to the windows. He is greeted by the familiar sea of lights opening up before him, and he relishes it the way he always does every time he introduces someone to it.

“It’s beautiful,” Mike says. The lights reflect in his eyes as he gazes outside. “Kind of makes you feel like the king up here, doesn’t it?”

“Why do you think I insisted on this view?”

Mike chuckles. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me.”

Harvey smiles. He steps behind Mike, letting his breath tickle his neck as he asks, “You know what I’ve always loved?”

“What?”

“Kissing my dates against it,” Harvey tells him and then proceeds to do just that. Mike lets himself be pressed against the glass willingly, smiling as he wraps his arms around his neck.

Oh yes, Harvey loves this part too.

“Hmm,” Mike makes.

Harvey hums, but Mike shakes his head and pats his shoulder, muttering against his lips, “Harvey.”

He draws back. “Yeah?”

“I wanna try it too.”

Before Harvey can say a word, Mike has flipped them over, crowding him against the glass as he dives right in for a rough kiss. His lips are shiny and flushed when he draws back, practically begging Harvey for more.

“Yeah, I can see the appeal.”

“Wait until you see the view from the bedroom,” Harvey murmurs, and Mike smiles as he laces their hands together to guide him there.

“Go ahead, show me,” he agrees lightly. “Impress a man.”

“Gladly.”

The bedroom is dimly illuminated by the city lights from outside. Harvey nods towards the windows. “It’s best from over there. You can practically look over the entire city.”

Mike’s silhouette is dark and enticing as he approaches the window, a stark contrast to the pattern of lights outside that Harvey knows like the back of his own hand.

It’s quite something, but it wouldn’t be half as riveting if it weren’t for the gleam in Mike’s eyes as he takes it in, his slightly parted lips betraying his fascination.

“Damn,” he mutters. “This is the first thing you see when you wake up?”

Harvey nods. “And the last before I go to bed.”

“Jesus. Yeah, okay, I can see how that makes you feel some kind of special.”

Mike’s eyes are glued to the view, but Harvey’s are fixed on him.

He steps behind him, sliding his arms around his waist. Mike sighs quietly when he brushes his lips along his neck, leaving a whispered kiss on his pulse.

“Are you impressed yet?”

Mike glances over his shoulder. “You’re doing alright. There’s some room for improvement, though.”

Harvey hums. “So lippy again. Trust me, you won’t say that once I’m done with you.”

“You’re very sure of yourself,” Mike remarks. Harvey’s hand trails down his stomach, sliding beneath his shirt to trace the waistband of his pants.

“I have every reason to be, believe me.”

“Promises, promises.”

Harvey kisses his neck again. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Mike turns around in his arms, foregoing a reply to meet his lips instead. Harvey makes a low, approving sound as he deepens the kiss. Mike follows his lead readily, the way he licks over the seam of Harvey’s mouth having him groaning.

It already feels familiar, doing this, like they haven’t met only an hour ago, but not in a way that takes the excitement out of it. On the contrary.

Harvey can feel Mike’s beginning arousal where he presses into him, mirroring his own, and when he bucks his hips in acknowledgement, Mike sighs.

His hands go straight to the buttons of his shirt, undoing the top two before he slides beneath the fabric to feel Harvey’s chest. He hums lowly, his lips pulling into a smirk when he grazes his nipple.

Harvey only kisses him harder in response, pressing against him. Mike’s fingers tighten on his chest, and he cants his hips in response, the feeling of their erections brushing so delicious that they both groan.

Mike pulls back. “Okay, I need to get you out of those clothes.”

“No complaints from me,” Harvey says, undoing the rest of his buttons. Mike takes it upon himself to pull the shirt off his shoulders instead of waiting for him to do so. Harvey chuckles.

“Something funny?” Mike asks, his hands trailing down his chest to his belt, and Harvey shakes his head.

“Not at all. Do continue.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. Their clothes land on the floor in no time until they are both only in their underwear.

“Bed?” Harvey asks. Mike only nods enthusiastically, practically pushing him backwards until they hit the mattress.

Another chuckle escapes him. “I take it that’s a yes,” he murmurs, mouthing along Mike’s neck before he grabs him around the waist and flips them over in a graceful movement he’s admittedly quite proud of.

Mike lets out a breathless laugh, grinning when Harvey towers above him. “Like you want me to waste any more time with needless proclamations.” He slides up the bed until he’s comfortable in the middle. “Wow, your sheets are soft.”

Harvey raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”

“What? Have you _felt_ them? What is that, silk?”

Harvey shakes his head and kisses him again in lieu of an answer. “You’re incredible.”

“Yeah, I’m amazing.”

Harvey snorts.

“What do you want to do?” he then asks, licking his lips.

“Surprise me. I’m more or less down for anything.”

“Anything?” Harvey traces the line of his jaw with his lips. “That’s bold of you to say to someone you only just met.”

“Why, are you gonna take advantage of me?” Mike asks with a cheeky grin. Harvey regards him in amusement.

“I’m getting the feeling that’s exactly what you’re after.”

“Like I said, I’m up for anything. Tell me what you want, I’ll veto if it’s too kinky. And I’ll have you know,” he adds, his voice dropping an octave, “there isn’t much that’s too kinky for me.”

“Hmm. A tease. I like that.” Harvey kisses Mike again, enjoying the slick slide of their lips before he draws back to say, “Since that lovely ass of yours has been on my mind all evening, I’d love to fuck you.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Harvey hums. “But before that…” he murmurs, leaving a trail of kisses down Mike’s neck to his chest, “I want to take my time with you. Get you nice and open for me, and by the time I start fucking you, you’re ready to beg.”

Mike lets out something between a laugh and a sigh when he sucks his nipple between his lips, grazing it ever so slightly with his teeth.

“That sounds even better.”

Harvey smirks, licking down Mike’s chest before he sits back up.

“You’re wearing too much,” he announces.

“I’m in my underwear.”

“Like I said. Too much.”

He hooks his fingers beneath the waistband, and Mike lifts his hips as he pulls down the fabric before he impatiently kicks it off. Harvey drinks in his naked body hungrily.

“God.” He licks his lips. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“You’re one to talk,” Mike gives back. He looks slightly flushed when Harvey glances at him and he’s not sure if it’s because of his arousal or the compliment, but it’s such a good look on him that he immediately decides to try and keep it there for as long as possible.

Mike pats his arm. “Your turn,” he demands, nodding at his boxers. “I want to see you too.”

Harvey smiles. “As you wish.”

“I donna suppose you could speed things up?” Mike mutters.

Harvey stops short, narrowing his eyes.

“Did you just quote ‘The Princess Bride’ at me?”

Mike raises an eyebrow, smiling. “I didn’t think you’d notice. People usually don’t.”

“Are you kidding? That’s one of the most iconic movies out there.”

“You’re not wrong. Also, you started it.”

“That was unintentional.”

Mike hums. “That does put a damper on our relationship.”

Harvey shakes his head, staring at him in fascination. “You got any more quotes up your sleeve?”

“Only the whole movie.”

Harvey blinks at him, but Mike only returns his look, clearly not joking.

“That’s… dedicated.”

Mike snorts. “It’s not out of the ordinary for me, believe me.”

“Really,” Harvey mutters, deeply intrigued when Mike merely smiles in return. Suddenly, he can’t get out of his underwear fast enough.

“Fuck,” Mike sighs when he lowers himself on top of him, bucking his hips to seek out the delicious friction.

“Ah-ah,” Harvey chastises gently, though it costs him every ounce of his willpower to stop him. “I said I wanted to take my time with you, didn’t I?”

“So do it,” Mike demands, dropping his head with an expectant look.

“Don’t tell me I brought home a pillow princess,” Harvey remarks dryly, although he doesn’t mind the idea of getting to do as he pleases with Mike in the slightest.

“You wanted to spoil me. I like to be spoiled. It’s a win-win situation.”

“I do love me those,” Harvey murmurs, and then he lowers his head, nipping along his jaw before he nudges the soft skin just beneath his ear.

Mike tilts his head readily, allowing Harvey to familiarize himself with the taste of his skin.

He sucks on Mike’s pulse gently, just long enough to draw a moan from him. Easing off, he brushes his lips along his neck, smirking when he lets out a deep sigh.

His chest is fairly narrow with only a scarce amount of hair. Harvey feels its softness tickling against his lips as he makes his way downwards.

He sucks on Mike’s nipple, relishing the taste of his skin, almost indiscernibly salty, mostly neutral and yet strangely addictive. He loves exploring it, and Mike seems to enjoy it too, if the way his hips keep twitching is any indication.

Harvey’s focus is inevitably drawn to his cock, hard and ready for him. He gives Mike’s nipple another suck, then kisses a wet trail down his stomach to his bellybutton.

Mike’s stomach quivers with a quiet laugh as his tongue darts out, licking the softness around it before he goes lower. He can hear the hitch in Mike’s breathing as he gets close to his cock, deliberately letting his breath brush the sensitive skin.

“You’re a fucking tease,” Mike murmurs.

Harvey shushes him gently, running the tip of his tongue along the underside of his cock in retribution.

Mike curses, and Harvey smiles, drawing back to devote himself to the inside of Mike’s thigh, twitching with arousal. He swallows hard against his own desire, fighting the urge to give in to it and just suck Mike off right then and there.

He straightens, ignoring Mike’s protesting sounds as he leans over to open the nightstand and grab the lube and a condom.

“Patience,” he chastises, smirking when Mike rolls his eyes. He merely disentangles himself from him, rolling onto his belly before he spreads his legs in a clear prompt.

Harvey chuckles, opening the bottle to coat his fingers with a generous amount of lube before he crawls between them. He spreads Mike’s cheeks, gently rubbing his entrance.

Mike inhales sharply.

“Alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. You can go on.”

Slowly, Harvey presses one finger inside. Mike is tight, but he’s clearly no stranger to this, staying relaxed as he takes deep breaths, pushing back against him when he’s ready for more.

Harvey is more than happy to give it to him.

He takes his time fingering him, partly to let Mike adjust, partly because he really enjoys it. By the time he stops, Mike is already slick and relaxed.

“You ready?” he asks.

Mike just nods, searching the sheets for the condom before he pushes it into his hands.

“Get on with it, please,” he pants. His eyes fall shut when Harvey curls his hand around his cock to give it a teasing tug before he rolls the condom over his own erection, unable to help the low grunt escaping him.

Mike’s eyes are open again when he glances at him, watching his every movement.

“Like this?”

“I don’t really care, as long as you get in me within the next thirty seconds.”

“So impatient again.” Harvey narrows his eyes, then pats his hip. “Roll over,” he decides. “I wanna see your face when I’m inside you.”

Mike swallows audibly, following his instructions at once.

“That’s it. Perfect,” Harvey mutters, grabbing Mike’s thighs to spread them further. Mike just wraps his legs around his waist, allowing him better access.

“Please,” he says breathlessly, staring up at him with wide, hungry eyes.

How could Harvey refuse a plea like that?

“Come here,” he breathes out, giving himself a few quick strokes until his cock is coated with lube.

“Right here,” Mike remarks, amusement seeping into his voice. “It’s been way over thirty seconds, by the way.”

“Hush,” Harvey mutters, mirroring Mike’s grin when he catches his eyes. Lowering his gaze again, he lines his cock up with his entrance.

Both of them fall silent, Mike breathing deeply, Harvey holding his breath as he prepares to push inside, his entire focus on the body beneath him.

“Have fun stormin’ da castle,“ Mike whispers.

Harvey snorts as he bursts into laughter. Mike joins in, and his body moves so perfectly against Harvey’s that he can’t wait any longer to finally be inside him.

“Think it’ll work?” he teases lightly. Mike is still laughing when he enters him, the sound turning into a low moan as he pushes into his delicious, tight heat.

“God, yeah, it’s definitely working,” Mike agrees, his chest heaving.

“That’s not the next line as far as I recall,” Harvey says, but he’s too focused on Mike to really pay attention to their conversation anymore. “This alright?”

Mike nods. “It’s good.”

“Hmm. Good is not really something I settle for.”

Despite his proclamation, Harvey lets another moment pass before he moves.

Mike’s body relaxes more and more with every breath they draw, slowly growing accustomed to Harvey’s length inside him. Harvey picks up on the signs he gives him, and when he gives his hips an experimental buck, he only receives an enthusiastic nod in reply.

“Go on. I’m good.”

“Yeah, you are,” Harvey agrees, falling into a slow rhythm. He sticks to shallow thrusts for now, giving both of them time to get used to the tight friction. It feels better than he remembers, the heat of his body and the breathy little sighs Mike lets out feeding his arousal steadily.

Neither of them is in a rush just yet, not now that they are finally connected, but in time, Harvey can feel the growing urge to pick up his pace, to go faster, harder, draw more of those addictive sounds from Mike.

Not yet, though.

For now, this is good. This is more than good, actually. It’s better than Harvey dared to hope, though he’s not entirely surprised by the fact.

He doesn’t even know what it is about Mike that makes it so hard to keep his eyes off him, to stop touching him, the feeling of being inside his body so intoxicating that he feels dizzy with it.

Mike’s eyes are fixed on him too, his lips shining where he keeps licking them, but he’s starting to look a little too comfortable for Harvey’s taste.

Luckily, he knows just what to do about that.

“Oh, fuck,” Mike gasps when he snaps his hips forward without warning, digging his fingers into Harvey’s shoulder.

“Good?”

“Yeah, yeah. Again,” he asks, his eyelids fluttering when Harvey complies with his wish at once. He lifts his hips, hissing as he meets him for every thrust.

“That’s it. You like that?”

“You know damn well I do.”

“Do I,” Harvey murmurs, smirking as he slows down before he thrusts into him again, both of them moaning at the tight sensation.

“Shit. Again.”

Despite his breathless voice, Harvey quips, “Demanding, are we?”

Mike just huffs. “Yes, I am. Again. Come on.”

His hand flies to his cock, stroking himself as he chases the sensation Harvey provides with a cant of his hips.

“More,” he gets out through clenched teeth. “Come on, give me more. Please.”

“You want it harder?”

When Mike nods, Harvey grabs his legs with a wicked smile.

“I’ll give you harder,” he promises.

Mike’s mouth falls open when he lifts his legs to his shoulders, pushing in deeply as he lowers himself, practically bending him in half.

“Fuck, yeah, like that,” Mike mutters, his eyes falling shut at the deeper stretch. “That’s good, yeah, that’s-“

“That what you want?” Harvey asks, snapping his hips forwards. “That how you like it?”

“Yeah. Shit, Harvey, like that, just- ah, _fuck_ ,” Mike curses, his hand squeezing around his cock as he strokes himself desperately.

Harvey grunts in acknowledgement, focusing on keeping up his pace until they are both breathless, the sound of their shared panting filling the air. Harvey feels a trickle of sweat running down his temple, can see the telltale shine on Mike’s skin as well, the moisture accumulating in the hollow of his throat. He wants to bend down and lick it up, to see what it tastes like, what sounds Mike would make at the touch of his tongue.

He doesn’t, because actually bending Mike in half is not an option, but the thought alone makes his rhythm grow erratic.

He loses himself in it without quite meaning to. Harvey has no idea how long they’ve been at it, he only knows that he wants _more_.

He can tell Mike is close, and he’s definitely not far behind, but as much as he craves the sweet release that’s already building inside him, he doesn’t want this to be over just yet. He wants to stay inside this delicious feeling wrapping around them, wants to draw out the pleasure Mike is giving him for as long as he can. It’s the sounds he makes as much as the way he looks and feels beneath him, how he watches him, his dry comments and the unashamedly needy remarks alike that makes this too good to stop.

“Hold on,” he says when Mike protests as he slows down. “I wanna try something else. Get on your side.”

Mike rolls over, giving him an expectant glance over his shoulder. He looks so sinfully hot like this that Harvey can’t help but stop and take him in, trying to commit the image to perfect memory before he moves to press up behind him.

Mike sighs quietly when he embraces him from behind. Harvey lifts his leg to bring his cock back to his ass. He slides in easily now, making both of them moan, and he tightens his arm around Mike’s chest, resuming his pace to the encouraging sounds Mike lets out.

It’s a little messier like this, harder to coordinate their entangled limbs, but Harvey can feel Mike all over him, their sweaty skin sticking together, and the friction this position provides is so excellent that it’s worth the complications.

Mike seems to enjoy the deeper stretch too, if his heavy breathing and the string of low grunts escaping him is anything to go by.

“You like that?” Harvey pants into his ear, sliding his hand down his stomach to wrap it around his cock.

“Aah,” is all Mike says in reply, which is answer enough for him. Harvey’s thumb comes away wet when he runs it over the tip of his cock.

“You close, Mike?” he murmurs, stroking him roughly to wring another moan from him. “You gonna come for me?”

“Fuck, yeah. Soon. I’m gonna come soon,” Mike breathes out, trying to push back into him and thrust into his fist at the same time, trembling all over.

It feels incredible. Harvey loves having him like this, pleasuring him from the front and from behind, feeling every quiver of his arousal as he keeps thrusting into him relentlessly until he’s on the verge of being swamped by his own building pleasure.

This time, he lets it happen.

“Fuck, Mike, I’m gonna-“

He doesn’t find an end to that sentence, too caught up in the sensation, but he doesn’t need to.

“Yeah,” Mike agrees at once, contracting around him as he pushes back against him. “Yeah, come on, just-“

Neither of them is too concerned with words, knowing exactly where this is going and taking it there by unspoken agreement.

Harvey doesn’t fight the tensing of his muscles when his climax washes over him. He drives into Mike again, once, twice, before he stills, his mouth falling open as he spends himself. His pleasure is only heightened by Mike moaning in encouragement, squeezing around him as he comes, and the sensation is so intense that it takes him several seconds to gather his wits again.

“Fuck,” Mike is groaning when he returns to himself, which doesn’t make sense because he isn’t the one who just came harder than he can remember, but still his lips are parted in desire, his eyes wild with need as he says, “That was so hot.”

Harvey lets out a breathless laugh. “Tell me about it.” He hisses when Mike moves his hips, his softening cock shifting inside him. He’s getting sensitive now with the heavy saturation of his relief spreading in his limbs, but he’s acutely aware of Mike before him, still on the verge of his orgasm.

Harvey may have come, but he’s not done yet. Nobody can say he isn’t an attentive lover. Getting his partner off, seeing them through to their own climax, is one of his favorite bits after all.

He slips out of Mike’s body, running a hand over his chest while wrapping his other one around his cock.

“Your turn,” he murmurs against his neck, humming in approval when Mike lets his head fall back with a sigh. “God, you have no idea how hot you look. What an incredible sight you make.”

“Tell me,” Mike demands breathlessly, twitching in Harvey’s embrace to get closer, to seek the friction his rhythm provides. He’s close, Harvey can tell. He’ll have him where he wants in no time.

He strokes him harder, brushing the sensitive underside beneath the tip as he whispers into his ear, “You’re goddamn gorgeous like this. Looking a mess, desperation written all over you, just because of me… it’s such an incredible sight, you can’t even imagine.”

A high sound escapes Mike, almost a whimper. Harvey only tightens his grip on him and strokes him harder.

Mike’s breathing grows ragged as he cants his hips to chase Harvey’s touch. He’s positively disheveled, the sight of him so mouthwatering that Harvey would get hard again right then and there if he weren’t so wrung out. It stirs something within him, and without quite knowing what it is or why it feels right, he runs his hand over Mike’s chest, caressing him gently in encouragement, just wanting to feel him closer.

“Come on, let go for me. Just let go.”

“I’m close,” Mike whispers, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m so close, I’m so close, I’m-“

He tenses in Harvey’s arms, thrusting into his grip one more time before he spends himself all over his hand. Harvey strokes him through it, absorbing the little whimpers he lets out, trying to get as many out of him as he can.

“That’s it, that’s so pretty,” he murmurs in encouragement, slowing down when Mike drops his head and releases a deep breath.

“ _Fuck,_ ” he groans. Harvey just kisses his neck in reply, relishing the slight shiver Mike’s body gives in response.

He rolls onto his back, taking his hand off Mike’s cock. Mike follows him sluggishly, ending up half on top of him as Harvey holds him in a loose embrace.

“I have… not come like that in a long time,” Mike announces after a while, his chest still heaving.

Harvey tilts his head to gaze at him. His forehead is glistening with sweat, the hair at his temples damp. He looks positively debauched. “In that position or that hard?”

“Both.”

Harvey chuckles. “Yeah, me neither.”

Silence falls between them as their heart rates slowly calm down, listening to each other’s breathing. Mike sighs next to him, shifting a little to get more comfortable. It strikes Harvey how easy it is to just be silent with Mike. Normally he feels compelled to engage in some pillow talk at this point if he’s out for another round. With Mike, there is no need to fill the quiet with empty words to keep him where he is. It’s surprisingly nice, just lying there with him, feeling his body close and his warmth where he’s still cuddled against him.

“It’s Egyptian cotton,” Harvey says.

“Huh?”

“The sheets. They’re Egyptian cotton. That, and silk.”

Mike smiles. “So I was right about the silk.” He brushes his hand over the fabric. “Not gonna lie, I think I’ve never had sex on a bed this comfortable. Maybe that’s why it was so good.”

“I think we could have been in a barn and we still would have enjoyed ourselves.”

“You’re not wrong,” Mike concedes. Then he shakes his head. “You sleep in this bed every night?”

“Obviously,” Harvey remarks.

“It just always astounds me,” Mike elaborates at the sight of his amused expression, “seeing something like this. Knowing you just… go to bed in here every day. Because I come from an entirely different world, I guess. I couldn’t even have dreamed of a bed like this. I mean, I still can’t.”

He blinks a few times, a frown passing over his face. “Sorry, that’s… you probably don’t wanna hear about that.”

“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with not being on velvet. Besides, I didn’t come from money either. I grew up with the same scratchy sheets you did, probably.”

Mike gazes at him, shifting in his arms to get a better look.

“Is that why you indulge in all this luxurious stuff now? Because you know what it’s like when you can’t?”

“Something like that. To me, it’s just a matter of taking something when it’s offered to you, I suppose. If I have the means to enjoy the finer things in life, why shouldn’t I? There’s no point in denying myself a comfortable bed or a nice place to live in when I can afford it. I don’t believe in depriving myself of the things I want. I’m a hedonist at heart.”

“That much is obvious,” Mike remarks, but he’s smiling. “I mean, you’re right. I’d probably do the same. And I get to enjoy your comfortable bed with you, so I’m not about to complain.”

“Lucky for you, I like to share,” Harvey remarks, running the tip of his finger down Mike’s chest.

“Do you now.”

“What can I say, I’m a true giver.”

Mike snorts. “No, you’re not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

 Harvey smirks. “Think you have me all figured out after two hours, do you?”

“I think I have a fairly good idea of what you’re like as a person,” Mike amends.

Harvey regards him curiously. Mike returns his gaze, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you,” Harvey says.

“No,” Mike agrees, his eyes wandering to the ceiling, “I don’t think you have.”

He turns to him again when Harvey shifts, resting a hand on his chest. “I’m gonna get up in a minute. You want anything to drink?”

Mike hums. “Actually, some coffee would be great. Unless you want to sleep soon, in which case I’d be happy having some by myself.”

As pleasantly exhausted as he is, Harvey has no desire to sleep any time soon, so he just nods and says, “Coffee it is.”

“Of course you have a super expensive coffee machine,” Mike mutters when he trails after Harvey to the kitchen, rolling his eyes despite his smile.

“What, you think I’m getting out of a bed like that for mediocre coffee?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He leans against the counter while Harvey starts the machine, both of them only wearing their underwear.

“How do you take your coffee?”

“With or without milk is fine. No sugar.”

Harvey fills two cups to the brim, then grabs the box with sugar anyway. Mike watches him drop two cubes into his cup with a smile.

The scent of the coffee is strong and vitalizing, stirring an age-old sensation of familiarity and comfort in Harvey. He gets so lost in it that it catches him entirely by surprise when Mike says, “I retract my earlier assessment. You’re not the bad guy.”

Harvey looks at him. “Because I made you coffee?”

“No, in general. It’s just, what I said about you being the bad guy, defending criminals and stuff. I don’t actually think you are.”

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

“Well, you, obviously.” Mike grins. “I think you like to pretend that you are. You want other people to think of you that way. But you’re not. You do care. Maybe it’s deep down, and maybe not in the conventional way, but you can’t tell me that you don’t give a shit. I don’t buy it.”

He accepts the cup of coffee Harvey hands him. His eyes fixate on the way his fingers curl around it for some reason before he turns to grab his own, leaning against the counter.

He blows on the steaming surface, regarding Mike quietly.

“There are people out there that I have known for years, that I work with on a regular basis, and they would never say what you just concluded after one night,” he finally says.

“Half a night,” Mike corrects, smiling slightly. “It’s only two am.”

He doesn’t point out that Harvey didn’t disagree. They are both aware.

“So I’m the good guy? Battling evil, fighting for a noble cause, all that stuff heroes do? Is that what kind of person you think I am?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Harvey lifts an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking you were complimenting me. Should I be offended?”

“Not at all. I’m not a good guy, either. I mean, who is? People aren’t just black or white. Things rarely are. I just think you like to pretend you don’t care even though you do. You may not actually be a giver, but you’re… considerate. You look after people. You take care of them. You don’t want the world to know for some reason, but it’s what you do nevertheless.”

Mike holds up his hands, shrugging. “That’s what I think, anyway. Feel free to correct me if I’m completely off.”

“I think,” Harvey says after some careful consideration, “that you aren’t completely off with that.”

It’s strange to admit, mostly because he’s never said anything remotely like this out loud before. Then again, no one ever confronted him like this. It’s a foreign feeling, but it doesn’t leave him as uncomfortable or exposed as he expected.

“I’m… it’s funny that you’re saying that, actually,” he continues, not quite knowing why the words seem to want out so desperately all of a sudden. “I’ve had a not so great day before I met you today, and it’s- I’ve been thinking about that, exactly. How I keep up this front all day long. I don’t mind, usually. I’m good at it. And it’s not that it’s completely different from who I really am. But in a job like mine, you can’t admit to anything people could see as a weakness. You care, people walk all over you. You show your feelings, and they jump at the first chance to rip into you until you’re down.”

Mike regards him quietly. “Sounds exhausting,” he finally says. His voice is mild, entirely too understanding.

“It can be. I mean, it’s exhilarating, and thrilling, and it certainly never gets boring, but it’s also… tiring, sometimes. You can’t keep this shit up 24/7.”

“I can imagine.”

Harvey huffs. “You know, I spend a lot of time pretending to be something I’m not, and no one picks up on it. And then you come along and see right through it.”

Mike smiles. “Most people don’t bother looking past the surface. But don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

It’s a strange thing to say for one stranger to another. It’s even stranger that Harvey doesn’t consider it out of place at all, on the contrary. It’s just… reassuring.

Regarding him quietly, Mike bites his lip in consideration. “I mean, I get why you do it. It’s understandable, given the circles you move in. But I also see why you grow tired of it sometimes. It’s all about finding a balance, isn’t it?”

“I guess it is. It’s just not always easy to find.”

“I think it’s okay if sometimes, you don’t. We all have phases like that. It’s part of life, right? As long as you find your footing again, you’re okay. If it gets too much, you will know.”

“Probably,” Harvey concedes with a nod.

He raises his coffee to his lips, then pauses, narrowing his eyes as he asks, “And you? What do you do, except see the best in people?”

Mike huffs. “I’m not sure I’d put it that way. I just like to believe that people are good at heart. They just don’t always know how to express it properly, or they don’t see that what they’re doing isn’t helping the cause, but… there’s good in everyone. And everyone wants to be good, to some extent. Even if it’s in a very twisted way.”

Harvey blows on the surface of his coffee.

“So you’re a dreamer,” he says with a small smile.

Mike chuckles. “Well, it’s not the worst thing to be.”

“It’s not,” he agrees.

Mike gives him a long look. “So when did you stop being one?”

Harvey wants to smirk and tell him that he never was one to begin with, that he was born knowing life wasn’t all guns and roses, but what he ends up saying instead is something entirely different.

“Probably when I caught my mother cheating as a kid and she asked me to keep it secret from my dad.”

Harvey takes a moment in the following silence, trying to figure out where the words came from. They just poured out, after he held them inside for years, never telling anyone about what really happened that he’s so far removed from his family today.

In the end, they were surprisingly easy to say.

“That’s… a plausible reason.” Mike bites his lip. “Okay, two things.”

“Shoot.”

“First, I’m sorry.”

From anyone else, Harvey probably wouldn’t have wanted to hear this. But somehow it’s okay from Mike. He can tell that he means it.

“Yeah,” he just says. “Me too.”

Silence spreads between them. Mike is giving him space, to change the subject or say more if he wants, and Harvey isn’t sure what to do with it, but something about it makes him want to go on. He can’t tell where it’s coming from, the sudden desire to free what he’s been keeping inside for longer than he can say, and he doesn’t even know why he continues, “It’s just, I’m so angry with her, you know? All these years, we don’t even talk anymore, and I’m still so goddamn angry. I don’t wanna think about her anymore. I don’t wanna be mad anymore. But every time I remember what she did it’s all right there again. It’s like I can never get past it. I just don’t know how to make it stop.”

He swallows, tightening his grip around his coffee. The porcelain is hot, but it only distracts him marginally from the things he just disclosed.

Mike considers him quietly. He purses his lips, then says, “My parents died in a car crash when I was eleven.”

Harvey’s eyes snap up.

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” Mike’s fingers curl around his cup. “The last conversation I ever had with my dad was a fight.”

Harvey winces. “Shit, Mike.”

“I know. It was incredibly stupid, too. I don’t even remember what it was about, which is- that doesn’t usually happen, so it must have been something really small. It took me ages to get past that, Harvey. Some days I’m still not quite over it.”

“I can imagine,” Harvey mutters. Mike purses his lips.

“Listen, I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty or anything. What you’re feeling is totally valid and understandable, and I’m not saying you ever have to forgive your mother for what she did. All I’m saying is that one day, she will be gone. And it will be too late to make things right again, in whatever way. So if you think there’s the smallest chance that you’ll want to forgive her at one point, or at least talk things over, then just keep that in mind. It’s easy to get lost in your anger when all you’re seeing is what was and what is now. Just remember that there’s a future too, and one day you’re going to have to live with the decisions you’re making right now. And I don’t know about you, but I try to keep my list of regrets as short as possible.”

He huffs out a laugh. “God knows I don’t always succeed with that. On the contrary. I’ve fucked up more times than I can tell you. But I try. And just… thinking about that, and reminding myself of it, has kept me from doing really stupid things more than once.”

Harvey nurses his coffee, allowing himself to entertain the idea Mike just brought up. It jibs at him, even thinking about it, but he knows he’s not wrong.

“It’s easier said than done, though.”

“Of course it is. It’s hard fucking work, isn’t it? Being the one to reach out. Especially when you know you’re not the one at fault. Look, I’m not trying to pressure you into forgiving her in any way. I’m not even sure you should, and I think that’s a decision you have to make for yourself anyway. But you can be the bigger person. You can try to open up that conversation again and just see where it leads. It doesn’t undo what she did. Nothing can do that. But maybe there’s a way you can learn to live with it and not carry that anger around with you all the time. Not for her sake. For yours.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Harvey mutters. Mike, probably sensing that he’ll have to sort the rest out for himself, just drinks his coffee and lets him be.

“What’s the second thing?” Harvey asks into the silence, suddenly remembering.

Mike looks up. “Hm?”

“You said two things. What’s the second?”

“Oh, right.” He smiles a little. “Thank you. For telling me.”

Harvey starts smiling too. “Thank you for the same.”

Mike just raises his cup in silent acknowledgement.

It’s strange, how they are standing there, seeing each other bare, and not just because of their lack of clothes. Harvey is not sure anyone else sees him quite as clearly, free of any assumptions made from the things he says or does. A few come close, certainly, Jessica and Donna and maybe his brother, or at least he used to. But no one ever seemed to see straight through him the way Mike appears to, not fooled by the front he puts up in the slightest. It’s a little frightening, only that Harvey isn’t put out by it at all. He doesn’t mind that Mike knows so much about him. Funnily enough, he kind of wants him to.

“We’ve known each other for approximately four hours and yet you know more about me than most people,” he says into the silence.

“Pretty weird, right?” Mike asks.

Harvey nods. “Not bad, though. I just don’t know what it is about you that makes me want to let you in. Is it the post-coital hormones? Is that how you make people trust you after only a few hours?”

Mike laughs. “That’s a great theory. I like that.” He smirks. “Wanna see what I can do when I make use of the whole night?”

“You bet your ass I do,” Harvey shoots back, and they smile at each other, but neither of them moves. They know that’s where they’re headed eventually. It’s what Mike is here for, after all, the only reason they are standing in this kitchen in their underwear in the first place.

But Mike’s right, it’s only two am. They’ve got all night.

“You know, my dad was a good man,” Mike breaks the silence, more serious again. “Of course, I only ever saw him through the eyes of a child, so I didn’t really know back then, but in hindsight… he was good. He and I, we just never really figured out how to make things work between us.”

When Harvey lifts an eyebrow, he elaborates, “We never had a great relationship. That fight wasn’t a singular occurrence. That’s why I don’t remember what it was about, probably. There were just so many of them. He and I never really understood each other. I think we would have, maybe, at a later time, but we never got the chance to find out. And that’s bad enough, but then there’s also the fact that the last memory I’ll ever have of him was a bad one, one of so many that it doesn’t even stand out, and that… it just fucks you up. Knowing that you can never, ever go back and at least try to make things right. That the last thing you did wasn’t tell your father that you forgive him, or love him, or maybe just need a little time, but you hurt him instead. It’s just… that’s really hard to forget.”

“I daresay it’s impossible,” Harvey murmurs.

Mike nods solemnly. Harvey regards him from the side, hesitating before he says, “I have a question for you.”

Mike tilts his chin in encouragement.

“When you said you had the whole movie memorized earlier, did you mean it?”

When Mike raises his eyebrows, he explains, “I’m asking because you also mentioned how you don’t usually forget stuff, and you said I’d probably never met anyone like you…”

The corner of Mike’s lips lifts. “What’s your question?”

“I’m wondering if you have a photographic memory or something like that.”

“Something like that,” Mike agrees, nodding with a slight smile. “Eidetic memory. Whatever I read, I remember. Forever. I’m also really good with numbers.”

“Which means you’re some kind of genius.”

“I guess you could say that.”

“So when you said you can quote the whole movie-“

“I meant that I knew it by heart after the first time I watched it. I could recite the whole thing to you right now. Or any of the books you have lying around here, provided that I’ve read them.”

“That sounds almost unbelievable.”

“Try me.”

Harvey takes a moment to think, then decides, mostly because he knows the first line by heart himself, “A Tale of Two Cities.”

Mike smiles. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with-“

“Okay, I believe you.” Harvey shakes his head in fascination. “That’s… impressive.”

Mike chuckles, but something about it almost sounds a little sad. “Not that it got me very far.”

Harvey gives him a look from the side. “Why not?”

Mike exhales deeply. “Remember how I said I tend to get myself into trouble?”

Harvey nods, and he continues, the way he lifts his shoulders making him seem years younger somehow, “I was actually gonna become a lawyer.”

Harvey raises his eyebrows. “No shit?”

“Yeah. It was my dream ever since I was a kid. And I was well on my way to getting there. Full scholarship, got into Harvard, all that.”

“What happened?”

“I had this friend. Trevor. And I don’t wanna blame him entirely, because I’ve done my fair share of mistakes and ultimately it was my decision, but he… tended to get into trouble as well, even more than me. I got dragged into one of his grand plans to make some cash. We sold test answers.”

“Your memory,” Harvey realizes, and Mike nods. “I memorized the answers and he sold them. Long story short, one of the people he sold them to was the dean’s daughter. I got expelled, the dean said he’d make sure I’d never go to Harvard, and that was that.”

“I’m sorry,” Harvey says softly.

Mike sighs. “Yeah. Me too.”

“You could have gone to another law school.”

“I could have. I just kind of lost my drive after that. It’s stupid, I know. It’s like I’m watching myself drifting, wasting my days in a job that’s totally unsuited for me, but I can’t even bring myself to care. It’s pathetic.”

“It’s not pathetic. It’s human,” Harvey corrects. He takes a sip of his coffee, then asks, “Why the law?”

“Because of my parents. After they died, this lawyer came to my grandmother. He totally ripped her off, but she had no choice but to take what he offered her. We barely got by for years after that. I swore myself I’d do better, make sure no one else had to suffer the same way we did.” He huffs out a little laugh. “That didn’t quite work out the way I wanted.”

Nudging Mike’s shin with his foot, Harvey lifts an eyebrow when he catches his eyes. “If it’s any consolation, things rarely do.”

Mike gives him a small smile. “You got some unfulfilled dreams too?”

“Plenty,” Harvey assures him dryly. He sets down his cup. “I was gonna be a baseball star.”

“Really?” Mike lifts his eyebrows. “What happened?”

Harvey tells him.

It’s strange and fascinating and somehow the most natural thing in the world, how easily the words fall from his lips. Talking to Mike is more effortless than talking to anyone else he knows, disclosing private things more a given than a hardship.

Harvey never knew he could trust this easily, and a stranger no less. Maybe it’s _because_ Mike is a stranger that it’s so easy to let go of the guards he usually keeps up, though he really doesn’t feel like one. There is still the sense of newness, of excitement that comes with getting to know someone and figuring out all these intriguing little details about them, but underneath all that is a startling sense of familiarity, of something he doesn’t know how to describe as anything other than recognition.

They talk for ages, about everything and nothing, never once having to stop and think about what to say next. Their second cup of coffee is long gone when Harvey looks outside, his fingers curled around the cold porcelain, and first becomes aware of the passage of time again.

It’s still dark, but the color of the sky is already changing, the deep blue fading to give way to the softer colors of the early hours.

The sun is going to come up soon. A new day is about to begin.

It puts Harvey into a peculiar position.

One night only. That’s his rule. He picks up someone, and he takes them home for one night, and then he sends them away again. That’s all there ever is to it.

But with Mike, it’s different. Mike is so goddamn intriguing. He’s hot, so much so that Harvey’s mouth turns dry at the mere sight of him. But that’s not what stands out about him most. That’s not what makes Harvey want to hold on to him.

And the fact that he does scares him shitless.

Harvey doesn’t hold on to people. He doesn’t _want_ to.

He has no idea what to do with this feeling.

“Look at that,” he says, still looking at the sky. “The sun’s going to come up soon.”

He can see Mike turning his head from the corner of his eye.

“Not yet,” he says gently. It sounds more comforting than he could have intended.

Interrupting his musings, Mike asks, “When was the last time you watched a sunrise?”

Harvey purses his lips in contemplation. “Three weeks ago, actually. I saw one from my office after pulling an all-nighter.”

Mike snorts. “That’s not what I meant, but fair enough.”

“What about you?”

“I’d say it’s been so long that I don’t remember, but, well. It was one year and seven months ago. Almost to the date. I was high as a kite at the time, though. That probably messed up my perception a little.”

Harvey chuckles. “Yeah, I guess so. Well, here’s your chance to redeem that.”

Mike hums. “It’s weird when you watch the night recede to make room for a new day, isn’t it? Like, you shouldn’t be seeing that, and yet there you are, staying up for god knows what reason, and suddenly you’re thinking about life and how time passes and things change and all that, and all just because some light is coming up.”

“People like to philosophize,” Harvey points out. “I think it’s human nature. We use every excuse we can get to spawn shit about the universe and call it deep.”

“We’re living proof of that.”

“Exactly.”

Mike chuckles. “Well, I say bring it on. Let’s see if you’re still as hot in daylight.”

Harvey looks at him then, and he can’t help the snort escaping him as he shakes his head.

Mike lifts an eyebrow. “What?”

“I just can’t believe I’ve had you as good as naked in my apartment all night and we only had sex once.”

There’s a beat of silence. “I mean, I could go again,” Mike remarks.

Harvey sighs. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He puts his cup down and pushes himself off the kitchen floor they somehow ended up on. He smirks, holding out a hand to Mike in silent invitation.

“I do look as hot in daylight,” he points out, lacing their fingers together as he pulls him to the bedroom.

Mike just laughs. “I don’t doubt it.”

*

He wakes up still sweaty, his body barely covered by the blanket with the furnace that is Mike’s body latched to him.

Harvey turns his head to glance at him, blinking against the brightness.

They can’t have slept too long, but the sun is completely up now, flooding the room with natural light that paints everything softer somehow, and Harvey isn’t all that tired. He could use a few more hours of rest, but given the chance of a repeat performance, he knows what he would rather have.

He’ll just let Mike decide.

He runs his hand down his spine lightly, watching in fascination how his eyelids flutter before they open. Once Mike has laid eyes on him, realizing what it is that woke him up, he starts smiling.

“Hey,” he says, his voice a little raspy.

“Good morning.”

“Hmm.” Mike exhales deeply, watching him through half-closed eyes. “You were right.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that, but what about?”

Mike exhales a soft laugh. “Still hot,” he mutters.

Harvey’s lips curve up. “Told you.”

The same can be said for Mike, who looks like an absolute treat spread out on the sheets like that. Harvey lets his hand wander to his hip, his intention clear despite the light touches.

It seems that Mike is in favor of the idea. He sighs, rolling over to allow Harvey access to his cock, already hardening.

“Beautiful,” Harvey murmurs, closing his hand around him in a light touch. Mike’s lips part in a quiet sigh, and Harvey can’t help but kiss them, still tasting hints of coffee.

He rolls over to get closer, their bodies slotting together perfectly.

“There’s something else I wanted to do,” Harvey mutters, brushing his lips over his pulse. “Something I didn’t get to last night.”

“Really,” Mike says, sounding like he isn’t particularly interested in the conversation as long as Harvey keeps doing what he’s doing.

Harvey has no problem with that.

“Yeah.” Giving him a lazy stroke, he murmurs, “Want me to show you? You just have to lie back and enjoy it. I’ll do the rest.”

“Sounds great,” Mike sighs. Harvey hums, placing another kiss on his neck and then on his lips before he slides down the sheets. Mike lets his legs fall open, peeking at Harvey through his hooded eyes. Harvey smirks as he makes himself comfortable between his legs, running his hands up his thighs to his hips before he kisses them. He leaves a slow trail on Mike’s skin, gradually moving closer to the center. He holds his cock around the base to keep it in place, kissing the tip lightly. His tongue darts out to lick the taste from his lips, then give the slit a teasing brush.

“Oh, yeah,” Mike mutters. “I’m definitely up for this.”

“I can see that,” Harvey remarks dryly. Mike chuckles at the terrible joke, but before he can call Harvey out on it, he has closed his lips around his cock and applied light suction that sufficiently distracts him from whatever he was undoubtedly going to say.

He slowly moves his head, going lower before he eases off, then repeats the movement, taking a little more of him every time until he has him almost completely in his mouth. Harvey loves the shape and weight of him on his tongue. He has always enjoyed giving his partners head, and it satisfies him to no end to use his skills on Mike now, who is writhing so beautifully beneath his ministrations.

He flattens his tongue and drags it up the underside of his cock, lingering at the sensitive patch right beneath the head.

Mike curses under his breath. Harvey hums around him, giving him a gentle suck.

Mike exhales deeply, shifting his legs. “Yeah. Yeah, like that.”

His voice is still rough, and Harvey lets the melodious sound wash over him as he steadily works him closer towards the edge.

It doesn’t take long to get him there.

“Fuck,” Mike curses quietly. Harvey would have smiled if his mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied.

“Oh, jesus. Harvey, I’m close, I’ll…”

Harvey can read the signs from his body perfectly. He merely hums, lowering his head to go down as far as he can go as he swallows around him, pulling back at the very last second when Mike’s hips jerk and he starts moaning keenly.

“That’s it, that’s gorgeous,” Harvey mutters as Mike comes all over his hand. He only stills when he slumps against the pillow, his cock softening in his grip. Wiping his hand on the sheets, he places a few kisses on his thigh and listens to his slowly calming breath.

Eventually, Mike sighs. “That was…”

“Yeah.”

“Again.”

Harvey chuckles. “I know.”

“C’mere,” Mike murmurs, lazily patting his shoulder. “I wanna reciprocate. Just give me a minute and then I can…”

“It’s fine,” Harvey assures him, lying down beside him. A strange feeling of fondness sits on his chest, somehow making every breath he draws feel heavier, but in a very good way. It’s only fueled by his arousal, the closeness to Mike’s body, still angled towards him. “Just your hand is enough.”

“Yeah?” Mike smiles. “You close already?”

“What can I say? I’m not the only one who’s hot in daylight.”

Mike chuckles. He’s still a little breathless, and the sound brings Harvey right back to the edge. He hums when Mike wraps his hand around his cock, rolling onto his side to get a better look at him as he begins a languid rhythm.

“Like that?”

“Yeah. God, that’s good. That’s-“

He doesn’t bother finishing his sentence because Mike is clearly getting the message. His sleepy state doesn’t keep him from reading the signs Harvey’s body is giving him, effortlessly adjusting his rhythm to give him what he needs.

Lazy morning hand jobs really have no business feeling this amazing, but Harvey sure as hell isn’t going to complain.

“That’s it,” he murmurs, feeling the telltale tightening of his stomach already.

“Come on,” Mike encourages him, licking his lip as he gazes at him. “Come on, let go.”

It’s the sight of him, his parted lips, the messy hair that makes him look so adorable, that ultimately does it. The tension spreads in his limbs until it shakes his whole body, too forceful to even consider stopping.

Mike is kissing his shoulder as he strokes him through it, smiling when Harvey slumps with a sigh. He takes a few deep breaths, relishing the heavy saturation spreading in him.

“Well, it’s a good thing we never got dressed last night.”

“Agreed.”

Harvey tilts his head, and Mike stretches to meet him for a short kiss before he drops on the pillow.

“I almost forgive you for waking me up for this.”

“Almost?” Harvey chuckles. “Well, we can’t have you leaving holding a grudge. How can I make it up to you that I woke you so selfishly?”

“If you’re thinking along the lines of what I’m suspecting, I hate to tell you that I am completely wrung out.”

“That’s a shame, but I rather had something like a nice breakfast in mind. Can I interest you in another cup of coffee, for a start?”

Mike sighs. “God, yeah. Absolutely.”

Harvey hums, leaning in on impulse to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Are you hungry?”

“Kind of starving, actually.”

“No wonder. I wore you out completely last night.”

“Like that didn’t go both ways,” Mike gives back, laughing when, as if on command, Harvey’s stomach rumbles.

“I concede the point,” he says, rolling out of bed to follow through on his promise.

Mike stays in bed for a while longer before he joins him in the kitchen, where Harvey is already assembling an array of food on the counter.

“What time is it?” he asks around a yawn.

“Twenty minutes to seven. There’s no rush.”

“Don’t you have to get to work, suing someone or something?”

“Not until nine.”

Harvey already texted Donna to push back his morning meeting, so there’s plenty of time. It’s a good thing there is, because somehow the mere thought of cutting this short displeases him.

“Can I make coffee?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Harvey says. “Pancakes or omelets?”

“Pancakes,” Mike responds at once, flashing him a grin over his shoulder. “Undoubtedly the best breakfast food.”

“Really? Discuss.”

“Well, for one, they’re fucking delicious.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Harvey concedes. “But so are waffles. I’m not convinced yet.”

“They also come in the shape of the most satisfying geometrical shape in the world.”

“The most what now?”

“What? Have you never looked at a circle and thought, damn, that’s satisfying?”

“I can’t say that I have, no.”

“Well, then you’re weird. Everyone knows perfectly round circles are satisfying. I don’t make the rules.”

“You have proof for that allegation?”

“Do I need to prove universal truths, counselor?”

Harvey presses his lips together to hide his smile. “So you’re making your case on the grounds that pancakes look pretty.”

“Are you saying that I’m wrong?”

“I’m saying that waffles are a hell of a lot more pleasing to look at, if we’re being honest.”

“Objection.”

“Overruled.”

“Okay, well, here’s another argument. On most breakfast menus I’ve looked at, pancakes come before waffles, so clearly they’re the superior food. I could tell you the exact percentage, of course, but I don’t wanna brag.”

“Of course you don’t,” Harvey remarks dryly. “You sure that doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that the letter p comes before w?”

“That has nothing to do with it, no.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

Harvey waves his hand away when he tries to snatch a pancake. “Hey! Overruled.”

“My argument or my need for sustenance?”

“Both. Sit down, it’ll be ready in a minute.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “Yes, mom.”

Harvey snorts. “Lovely. I’m ready for your next argument.”

“Alright, I sure hope you are, cause this one is a banger.”

“Let’s hear it,” Harvey says dryly.

It’s the silliest he has acted in longer than he can remember, and at one point Harvey fails to keep a straight face, but it’s just too much fun to keep it up, and the lightness weaving around his heart as they mess about is not something he wants to miss.

Mike keeps pulling terrible arguments out of thin air, refusing to admit defeat, and the scent of the sizzling batter cooking in the pan already fills the kitchen when they finally call it a draw.

“So can we agree that both waffles and pancakes are great and an ideal breakfast would consist of both?”

“We can,” Mike says, nodding.

“You would have made a good lawyer,” Harvey remarks when he puts down the pancakes on the table before he sits down. Mike immediately starts loading his plate, the smile he gives him looking mostly grateful and only a little sad.

“This from you, the… what was it? Best closer in the city? Well, thank you.”

“I mean it.” Harvey takes a few pancakes as well, then adds, “You still could be, you know.”

Mike meets his eyes before he looks down. “I guess.”

“It’s up to you,” Harvey says gently, leaving it to him whether he chooses to see it as the beginning of a conversation or the end of it.

Mike hugs his knee to his chest. “I told you, it’s… complicated.”

“It’s only complicated in your head. From where I’m standing, your options are pretty clear.”

“That’s always easy to say when you’re not the one in the situation.”

“I know. Been there enough times.”

“Then you’ll know it’s not as easy getting a second chance as it seems.”

“Or maybe you’re happy just asking for a chance without intending to take it because you haven’t quite decided if you actually want it or not.”

The words are spoken without heat, neither condescending nor judgmental, but Harvey still holds his breath to see if Mike is offended by them. It’s a sensitive subject. They barely know each other. He has every right to be.

Mike cuts off a piece of his pancake before he asks, “Why wouldn’t I want it? It’s been my dream my whole life.”

“Because it’s safer to call it a lost cause instead of taking a risk and having to face the possibility that you might not be as great as you thought you were. Or that you might fail. Or that being a lawyer isn’t what you hoped it would be after all.”

Mike chews his bite. He swallows slowly, reaching for his coffee to wash it down. Finally, he lowers his cup and mutters, “Damn.”

Harvey just chuckles.

“You a motivational speaker on the side or something?”

Harvey snorts and shakes his head.

“Well, thank god. You’d be terrible at it.”

“Biting the hand that feeds you?” Harvey tuts. “Didn’t your grandmother ever teach you not to do that?”

“Never came up, no. I guess she was too busy passing her sassy mouth on to me.”

“Good god. So it runs in the family.”

“Oh yeah, it does.”

Mike takes another bite, then waves his fork at Harvey. “You know what you aren’t terrible at, though?”

“I can think of a number of things. In fact, the list is endless.”

Mike rolls his eyes, smiling despite himself. “Making breakfast. These pancakes are amazing.”

“Of course they are. I don’t offer my guests mediocre food.”

“No, you don’t do anything halfway, do you?”

“I can’t help my dedicated and goal-oriented nature.”

“God, you’re incredible,” Mike mutters, but he smiles as he takes another bite of his pancake, and Harvey returns it without having to think about it.

Their conversation flows easily, long after the pancakes are eaten and their coffee has turned cold and Harvey should start cleaning the table or getting dressed if he doesn’t want to be late, but somehow he can’t make himself get up to do it.

Neither of them addresses the elephant in the room the entire time. In fact, Harvey almost manages to forget about it until Mike sighs, putting his hands in his lap.

“I suppose you have a one night only rule.”

It’s not really a question, and Harvey can see in the look in his eyes that he knows the answer already.

“Sadly, I do,” he says, wondering why the words taste so wrong in his mouth.

Mike just smiles. It almost looks a little sad. Harvey is not sure why that bothers him so much.

“Thought so. Well, I’d better get going then.”

He gets up, pushing his hands into his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his feet. “Thanks for breakfast. And the late night coffee. And everything else.”

Harvey knows he isn’t just talking about the sex.

“I should be thanking you. I haven’t had company this nice in a while.”

Mike gives him a smile. He grabs his things, stopping in front of Harvey before he cups his jaw with one hand and kisses him goodbye.

The warmth and taste of his lips is all too familiar, and it’s over way too soon, leaving Harvey with nothing but the faint echo of something too fleeting to grasp.

“I guess I’ll see you around, maybe,” he says lightly, and Harvey nods as he follows him.

All of this feels entirely inadequate somehow. It feels _wrong_. He thinks that he should say something, but he doesn’t know what, and so he drops it and just opens the door.

“Take care, Mike,” he says, really meaning it, and they smile at each other one last time before he turns around and takes off.

Harvey closes the door only when he has disappeared, wondering why the apartment suddenly feels so much emptier.

Mike’s used cup and their plates are still on the table. Harvey regards them before he shakes himself and puts them into the sink.

He’s running late as it is. No reason to waste any more time.

*

Real life catches up with him soon enough.

It’s a bit like being startled awake from a dream, one of those where everything is softened and gentler somehow, a little too good to be true, but Harvey is a busy man with a busy job that leaves him no time to mourn the loss of that blissful fantasy. There is always something to do, a case to win, fights to carry out, new people to meet and spend the night with and say goodbye to again, and Harvey gets swept up in it thoroughly before long.

Sometimes, though, he stops and thinks about Mike.

He remembers it perfectly, the night they spent together, their conversations and coffee at two in the morning as much as the spectacular sex, how Mike’s lips felt against his, the sounds he made when they moved together in such perfect harmony that it was hard to believe they hadn’t studied it beforehand.

He remembers _Mike_ perfectly, every little detail he absorbed without quite meaning to and never managed to forget again.

And, okay, maybe he thinks about him more than just sometimes.

Harvey doesn’t usually remember his one-night stands, not like this. He doesn’t usually think back to them weeks after they happened, wondering why he keeps going back even though it’s long over and there are plenty of other things to turn his attention to.

Wondering if he did the right thing in letting them go.

It’s ridiculous. There’s a reason why Harvey has his rule.

It’s easier this way. It’s uncomplicated. Safe. Harvey doesn’t have time to deal with emotions, and the rule keeps him from having to do so.

Harvey knows there’s a reason, but the longer he thinks about it, the harder he finds it to remember what it was or why it seemed to matter so much when he established it.

It was a long time ago. He was younger then, and different, and as he got older, he never stopped to consider if he shouldn’t change his ways.

He never had a reason to. Not until Mike.

It’s pointless. And it’s too late anyway. He is long gone, probably not even thinking about Harvey anymore.

That’s what he tries to convince himself of, anyway.

Because there was a connection between them that he didn’t just imagine, he knows he didn’t. It was real, and it was right there, and he just… let it go.

It’s too late. But that doesn’t stop him from thinking about it all the damn time.

As it turns out, the bitter taste regret leaves in his mouth is very persistent.

Of course, his change of heart doesn’t go unnoticed by Donna. She doesn’t quite believe him when he tells her that it’s nothing and he’s just getting more pensive in his middle age, but at least she doesn’t probe, instead setting her mind on pulling him out of his mood whenever she can.

“You have been brooding way too much lately,” she declares one evening and promptly drags him to their favored bar that night, which is incidentally the one he met Mike in all those weeks ago.

He’s having a good time with her, as he always does. He’s enjoying himself. He tells himself he isn’t looking for Mike the entire evening and almost convinces himself of it.

They go out from time to time. Sometimes they go home with someone, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes Harvey comes here by himself, not looking for anything in particular, just to see if an opportunity arises.

He never saw Mike coming, after all. He doesn’t expect to find someone like him again, but he knows now not to waste any chances.

He’s by himself this time too. Donna’s got some hot date tonight, a guy she picked up here the last time they went out together, apparently having enjoyed his company so much that they are now officially dating.

She makes it seem so easy. Harvey should follow her example in that regard.

He doesn’t mind being by himself, though. Sometimes he just enjoys the quiet. Listening to the background music on low volume, nearly drowned out by the chatter and clinking glasses around him, Harvey nurses his drink by himself, debating whether he should get a second one or call it a day after this one.

That’s when he hears it.

At first he thinks he imagined it, that his mind is playing tricks on him because of his train of thought and the alcohol he had, but Harvey isn’t a sentimental idiot, and a smile unfolds on his face when his voice sounds again and he turns around, locating Mike in an instant.

He still looks the same. Of course he does, it hasn’t been that long – seven months and two weeks to be precise, Harvey’s brain provides – and there’s no reason he should look much different.

But he still looks the same he did when he was spread out on Harvey’s sheets, pressed flat against his windows, sitting on his kitchen floor in his underwear with ruffled hair and a cup of coffee in his hands, and it throws Harvey back instantly. All the feelings he felt that night, every emotion he tried to repress since Mike walked out of his door and out of his life the next morning return to him at once until he’s breathless with it.

As he watches him, Harvey can’t help but smile. He takes a sip of his drink to compose himself, then raises his voice just slightly and says, “Fancy meeting you here.”

Mike freezes with his back to him before he turns around, starting to beam the second their eyes meet.

“Harvey?”

“You remember,” Harvey remarks, smiling too. “I’m flattered.”

Mike’s grin lights up his entire face. “Wow, this is… I honestly didn’t expect to ever see you again.”

“Neither did I. I certainly hoped to, though.”

They grin at each other, neither of them seeming to know what to do before Mike steps in and pulls him into a tight hug. Harvey sighs quietly as Mike’s scent fills his nose. He never quite managed to recreate it in his head, but he’s intimately familiar with it all the same.

He missed it. Terribly.

“How have you been?” he asks when Mike draws back, still smiling.

“Good, yeah. Really good, actually.”

“You look like it,” Harvey tells him genuinely, his eyes roaming the lines of his face. He nods at the seat next to him. “You have time for a drink?”

Mike raises his eyebrows, but smiles. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Here, you want anything?” Harvey asks, waving the waitress over.

“I’ll have, uh… whatever he’s having,” Mike decides, smiling at her brightly. God, Harvey has missed that look. It surprises him just how much he has, realizing only now that he’s confronted with it again.

The waitress leaves, and Mike’s eyes return to Harvey’s, who is perfectly happy to just regard him for the time being.

Mike folds his hands together.

“So.”

“So,” Harvey echoes.

The corner of Mike’s mouth lifts. “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” Harvey agrees. “Looks like time treated you well, though. You really do look great.”

Mike lifts an eyebrow, but he smiles when he says, “Thanks. So do you, though I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate hearing it anyway.”

Mike grins, his shoulders relaxing at the easy banter when he leans in. “Well, you look very handsome, Sharp Dressed Man.”

“Alright, ZZ Top.” Harvey doesn’t bother trying to keep the grin off his face. “So, what have you been up to?”

“Oh, well.” Mike looks a bit flushed all of a sudden, a little unsure and somewhat proud too. It’s an intriguing look on him. “I, uh… have some news, actually.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

His lips curve into a giddy smile. “I’m going back to school. Law school, to be precise. I’m gonna be a lawyer.”

“Seriously? Mike, that’s amazing news!” Harvey grins. “Congratulations. Which school are you going to?”

“Cornell.”

“Ivy League. Impressive.”

“Yeah, it’s not quite Harvard, but it’ll do. And you know what their motto is? ‘I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.’” The corner of his mouth lifts. “I thought it was appropriate.”

Harvey smiles. “It is. When are you starting?”

“In the fall semester. I’m just reading up on some stuff before that, waiting until I can hand in my notice.”

“Like you need to read up on anything.”

Mike shrugs, grinning. “I know, I just… I want to do this right.”

“And I assume you won’t be moving very far, since Cornell is in New York.”

“Exactly.”

Harvey nods. “Good.”

Mike gives him a curious look, but the waitress arrives with their drinks that moment, and he doesn’t come back to it when she’s gone, instead asking, “What about you? Any exciting news?”

“I…” Harvey hesitates. “Well, it’s not quite as exciting, but – I talked to my mother.”

Mike raises his eyebrows. “Really? And how did that go?”

Harvey huffs. “About as well as I expected,” he says, and then he tells him about how he finally got himself to reach out to her. How they aren’t exactly on speaking terms, but at least they’re speaking, and even if it never leads to forgiveness, at least they will know that they gave it a chance. How he’s doing better with Marcus and the kids now too, and how it’s taking every one of them a world of effort to keep things civil, but somehow they are all willing to pay that price, and it’s far from ideal but it’s still the best it has been in years, and maybe that’s already worth everything.

“I think you played no small part in that,” he finishes on, and he can see in Mike’s eyes that they are thinking the same thing. How crazy it is that they left such a big mark on each other during the little time they spent together. How their lives would be so different now if they had never met.

Mike opens his mouth, then hesitates.

“What? Out with it. You know you can say anything to me.”

It should be a strange thing to say to someone he has met only once before, but Harvey feels the truth of it in his bones.

Mike doesn’t seem to think it weird either. He just glances at him, worrying his lip before he confesses, “You’re gonna laugh at me, or worse, but… I really missed this. Just… being with you. Talking.”

He holds Harvey’s eyes, but there’s a look of apprehension in his, like he half expects to actually be made fun of. The corner of Harvey’s mouth lifts.

“You’re gonna laugh at me, or worse, but I think I did too.”

Mike blinks at him in surprise. Clearly, this isn’t what he expected to hear.

He can tell he wants to say something, wants to ask why he never gave them a chance to become anything more than what they were that night, two strangers with a singular connection that could have grown into something bigger than Harvey can comprehend if they hadn’t nipped it in the bud.

Looking at him now, Harvey can’t think of a single reason why they did.

“Listen,” he begins. “I’m not gonna pretend I didn’t continue living my life after I met you, because I did. But I also kept thinking about you. All the time. I kept asking myself, what if I’d forgotten about my stupid rule and just gone with what felt right? Because it did. Feel right. Some part of me was always wondering, what if I hadn’t let you go home that day? What if I’d at least given you my number, or asked you to come over again?”

Mike inhales deeply as he listens to him. His throat bobs as he swallows, slowly turning his drink in his hand as he processes what he just said.

“I would have said yes,” he tells him eventually.

“Yeah?”

Mike nods. “In a heartbeat. I would have said yes to anything if it had meant getting to see you again. That night, it was… not just on the physical level, it was absolutely incredible. I never found anything like that before, Harvey. And never again after it.”

He purses his lips, hesitating before he says, “I really would have liked to keep it.”

“And you still want that?”

Mike gives him a look. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Indulge me.”

Mike gives him a considerate look. “You know why I decided to go back to uni? Because you were right with what you said. I walked out of your apartment with yet another thing I wanted but couldn’t have. But unlike that one, I could do something about the others. It’s pretty sobering when you realize the only thing holding you back is you. I didn’t want to feel that way anymore. If I could have done something about the rest too, about you… I would have.”

Harvey reaches across the table, covering Mike’s hand with his own. “So, just to be clear, if I did this…”

It feels warm and familiar beneath his palm, and it’s futile to pretend that his heart doesn’t jolt when Mike turns it over to grasp his tightly.

“Then I’d do this,” he says, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Harvey licks his lips. “And if I did this…”

He trails off as he closes the distance between them, meeting Mike’s lips for a soft kiss. He can feel Mike starting to smile against his mouth, and he pulls back only to say, “I’d do this, genius,” and kisses him again.

Harvey has to take a deep breath when he draws back enough to gaze at him, the look in his eyes almost challenging. Well, Harvey is all too happy to comply.

“And what if I asked you to come home with me again?”

A triumphant expression crosses Mike’s face, but even so he leans back to look at him.

“What about your rule?”

Harvey huffs. “Forget about that. That rule died the night I met you.” Squeezing his hand, he says, “Someone once told me to keep my list of regrets as short as possible. I let you get away once, and I’ve regretted that decision every day since then. I’m not making that mistake again.”

Mike sucks in his lip, a poor attempt to conceal his smile. “In that case,” he says, lacing their fingers together, “I’d tell you to lead the way. We’ve wasted enough time as it is, haven’t we?”

He’s right. And with the warmth of his hand in his and the promising taste of their kisses still lingering on Harvey’s lips, he suddenly can’t pay fast enough.

*

Harvey blinks against the light falling in through the windows, his focus immediately on the warm body next to his. It’s been a while since he woke up next to anyone – the last time was with Mike, actually, everyone who came after him left before the sun came up – and he’s wide awake in an instant as the memories of last night return to him in a rush, leaving his heart pounding with relief and desire alike, the desperate need for more making his mouth feel too dry and the space between their bodies too big.

He turns his head to the side, drawn to Mike like a magnet.

Mike is already awake, just watching him, almost apprehensive despite the smile tugging at his lips. Harvey looks at him, and he knows exactly what he needs to say.

“Go out with me.”

His voice is raspy with sleep, the loudest sound in the room despite his quiet tone. It’s peaceful in here, with just the two of them and their breathing filling the air.

Mike starts grinning. “Good morning to you too.”

Harvey smiles, cupping his cheek with one hand before he leans in and gives him a gentle, sweet kiss that makes his stomach flutter in the strangest way.

“Good morning. Go out with me.”

Mike hums. “That was a convincing argument, counselor. Alright. I’ll go out with you.”

He meets Harvey’s eyes, and a second later they are both chuckling. The vibrations of their bodies are electrifying, guiding them closer together instinctively. Harvey rolls onto his side, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“Thank you,” he says when they have caught their breaths, running his thumb over the bare skin peeking out beneath the duvet.

“We’re doing this the wrong way around. I don’t usually sleep with guys before the first date,” Mike teases.

“I think we’ve established that we’re willing to make an exception to our rules for each other.”

“Guess we are,” he agrees lightly, and the smile he’s wearing radiates so much happiness that Harvey can do nothing but lean in and kiss him again, the inexplicable urge to be closer never quite satisfied.

“It’s just as well,” Harvey says when he pulls back before he holds Mike tightly and rolls them over. “I always felt that rules were made to be broken.”

**Author's Note:**

> "As you wish", "I donna suppose you could speed things up”, "That does put a damper on our relationship", “Have fun stormin’ da castle" and "Think it'll work?" are all quotes from The Princess Bride. Also, I hated how they "dealt with" (if you can call it that) Harvey's mother on the show, so this is my attempt at making it slightly better.
> 
> As always, English isn't my native language so if you spot any mistakes, feel free to point them out :) Also, if there's anything else you'd like to say to me, if you have concrit or just want to tell me something, comments always make my day!


End file.
